ISF 453 
.S7 
ICopy 1 




Commercial 

RABBIT 
FARMING 

AND THE 
FOOD SUPPLY 



M 



Complete Breeder's Guide 



PUBLISHED BY 



I 



Outdoor Enterprise 
Publishing Company 

Kansas City - Missouri 



01 

ii 



101 



11! 



u 



V^=ioi===M^ic=z:Jioj==::>\ ^ 



pf^m 



Mak b 



i3|y 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2010 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/commercialrabbitOOstah 



^••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••* 

I A book for the education j 
I of Economists— \ 

i . % 

)f 



% 



A book of downright ad- 
vice to householders— 



I A business prospectus for % 
I Americans % 



J Capyright, 1918, by Edzv. H. Stahl J 

is ^ 

* '^ 
:{ A-********* J 

I i 

* PRICE, so CENTS J 

* 

$ MARCH, 1918 J 

is ^ 

^ 3f 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



BELGIAN HARE 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



CONTENTS 



Page 

Introduction 6 

What Is a Commercial Rabbit? 7 

History and Origin _ 14 

The Abortive Boom , 18 

The Commercial Rabbit for Meat 23 

How It Solves the Food Problem • • • • 29 

Pertinent Statistics 32 

Nutritive Value of Meat 32 

The Commercial Rabbit Business 34 

How to Begin 35 

Houses and Hutches 38 

Feeding 43 

Breeding and Selecting 45 

Care of the Young 47 

The Utility 50 

Diseases 51 

Big Successes • • • ■ 55 

The Future 55 

Prolificacy . 56 

Rabbits and War .... 58 

Heredity 61 

Useful Rabbit Notes , 62 

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Belgian Hare Buck , 46 

Belgian Hare Doe 8 

Flemish Giant Doe . 10 

Litter of Flemish Giants 15 

Black Flemish Giant Buck 19 

Young New Zealand Doe Zl 

Steel Gray Flemish Giant Buck c50 

Housing and Hutches 39, 40, 41, 42 

A Bunch of Fine Steel Gray Flemish Giants , 48 

White Giant Doe 57 

A Mastedonian Buck 44 

New Zealand Buck 24 

American Checkered Giant Doe . .^ Zd 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



ff2S2S2S2t250•o•o•°•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•■M 
»o»o»o«o»o«o«o»o»o«o«o»o«o»o«o«o«o«o«o«oeo«o«o«o«o«o»o«o«o«o«o«o«o»o«o«o»o»o»o»o»o»o«o«o«o»oW 

•O *c 

o* o< 

•O •( 

o» o« 

SS Si 

•O •( 

i INTRODUCTION I 



8S 



2S 



ss 



S8 



THE AUTHOR. 
Cf.A5 15000 

to«o«o*o 

3»0»0»0« 



ss 



is is 

I "COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING" was | 

o§ gotten out with the meat end of the industry in 

§S view. 



s? 

o* 

ss 

•o 

§1 88 

•O CO 

So The three breeds of hares best adapted for com- SS 

2§ mercial purposes are the Belgian Hare Rabbit, the S8 
Flemish Giant Rabbit, and the New Zealand Rabbit. SS 



?S 

■o wo 

o» o» 

•o mo 

o* o* 

•o The illustrations in this edition are of stock gg 

l| that were raised for size and hardiness more than §§ 

SS for the fancy points. The exhibition type of hare SS 

§8 finds little space in this book, as you must realize §8 

SS that hares must be raised to be used for meat. In SS 

oS this way this industry will in time be one of the SS 
argest and will take its place with the other great 



SS outdoor industries. §§ 

SS ss 

ss ss 

ss •° 

I The contents of "COMMERCIAL RABBIT | 

§8 FARMING" may not meet with the approval of §8 

So the fanciers who raise hares for a hobby and the •§ 

8§ sport of winning- at the shows ; however, as this 88 

88 book is boosting rabbits for meat, and is written §8 

§8 from actual experience, we leave the fancy end of •§ 

88 the industry to those who are more experienced in §8 

Js that type of stock. Is 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



CHAPTER I 
WHAT IS A COMMERCIAL RABBIT? 

There are three kinds of rabbits — Commercial Rabbits, 
Game Rabbits and Pet Rabbits. Commercial rabbits are of 
several types, chief amongst which are, the Rufus Red Bel- 
gian Hare, the New Zealand Rabbit, the Flemish Giant Rab- 
bit. We will consider these different types in the ensuing 
paragraphs. 

GAME RABBITS 

Game rabbits are wild rabbits. The common wild rabbit, 
the jack rabbit and the hare come under this heading. It is 
well-nigh impossible to raise any of these types in captivity, 
as they seem to pine away and die. Even if it were possible 
to domesticate them, it would not be practicable to raise them 
for commercial purposes, as in most states there are game 
laws which prohibit the sale of game stock during certain 
months or seasons. Thus, it is well to bear in mind that 
commercial raDDits are not game rabbits and are not, there- 
fore, subject to the game laws. Passing over this question 
of whether it would be practicable to attempt to domesticate 
wild rabbits, the fact remains that wild rabbits are so small 
that it is not worth while. 

PET RABBITS 

Pet rabbits may be classed roughly as those of fancy 
colors, such as the Dutch Rabbit, the Angora Rabbit, the 
Himalayan Rabbit, the Polish Giant Rabbit, etc. In this class 
also may be included the numerous types of vari-colored 
stock raised by boys everywhere. The smaller types of pet 
rabbits are not worth raising for food because of their insig 
nificant weight, but the main argument against ,all of them, 
from a commercial point of view, is that their color somehow 
makes people reluctant to kill and eat them. It is said by 
many breeders that a white rabbit is just as good to eat as a 
commercial or game rabbit, while others claim that the meat 
of the pet rabbit is too sweet to be palatable. On this point 
I venture no opinion. I would not like to eat a white rabbit 
myself. Certain it is that very few women will prepare a 
pet rabbit for the table. The very idea seems to be revolting 
to them. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 





COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



COMMERCIAL RABBITS 

As before explained, commercial rabbits are of several 
types — mostly long-framed and heavy. The smallest type of 
pet rabbit will eat as much as a giant commercial rabbit, so 
it is well to bear in mind that,, from a business standpoint, 
it is folly to raise anything but commercial rabbits for food. 

THE RUFUS RED BELGIAN HARE 

The Belgian Hare is perhaps the most popular of all 
commercial rabbits. It is said to be the hardiest and most 
prolific. Belgian Hares are of two kinds — the common Gray 
Belgian and the Rufus Red. Both yield a fine-grained white 
venison that is highly nutritious and very palatable. No 
breeder disputes the fact that Belgian Hare venison is far 
superior to any other meat for food. It is tender, juicy and 
nutritious and may be cooked in a hundred different ways. 
It yields a higher percentage of net nutriment than chicken, 
beef, mutton or pork and is recommended by doctors as the 
ideal food for invalids. At maturity the Rufus Red Belgian 
weighs from seven to, nine ipounds, depending (upon the 
method of breeding-. When Rufus Red Belgians are bred 
for fancy or show purposes, weight is subordinate to shape 
and color, and the show standard calls for a weight of eight 
pounds. Utility Rufus Reds, however, may weigh all the 
way up tO' eleven pounds at maturity. It may not be amiss 
to insist here that an eleven-pound rabbit is quite a rabbit, 
especially when you consider that the wild rabbit dresses to 
only about two pounds or less. The Rufus Red Belgian 
Hare is very prolific. Four to six litters a year may be bred 
from this type, and anywhere from six to twelve young may 
be expected in each litter. It is commonly reported that a 
Rufus Red Belgian Hare will have from five to thirteen young 
in each litter, but it rarely happens that she will have less 
than six, and rarely that she will have more than eleven. 

THE FLEMISH GIANT RABBITS 

The Flemish Giant Rabbit is nearly twice as big as the 
Rufus Red, and quite as prolific. Litters of eight to eleven 
frequently occur. The Flemish Giant matures much more 
slowly than the Belgian Hare, reaching maturity at from 
twelve to fourteen months old. The weights of Flemish 
Giants irun from ten to twenty pounds at maturity, although 



10 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 




COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 11 

a twenty-pound Giant is rare. The average at maturity is 
about twelve to fourteen pounds. The meat of the Flemish 
is just as tender and delicious as that of the Belgian, and the 
skins are often made up into imitation furs. Because of its 
great weight, the Flemish is likely to become more and more 
popular as time goes on. For some unaccountable reason, 
the Steel Gray Flemish is more in demand than any other 
color, and yet it is hardly possible to breed a straight steel 
gray animal. Two steel gray parents may produce offspring 
in which several different shades appear, light and dark steel 
grays, and black. 

THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT 

The New Zealand Red Rabbit is heavier than the Belgian 
Hare, but not quite so heavy as the Flemish. It is a com- 
paratively recent breed and is claimed to be very hardy, 
and as prolific as either the Flemish or Belgian. If well 
cared for, it produces a heavy carcass on very little feed. It 
is said to eat less than either Flemish or Belgian. Its meat 
is just as delicious and nutritious as that of the Belgian and 
the Flemish. 

COLOR 

The color of the Rufus Red Belgian Hare is a rich, 
ruddy Rufus red — a brownish, golden red. The best speci- 
mens have four red feet and a creamy belly. The Belgian 
breeds true to color. 

THE FLEMISH GIANT does not breed true to color. 
It generally comes in three shades— light gray, dark gray 
and jet black. Parents of one color nearly always produce 
offspring of several colors. The light gray types nearly 
always become slightly heavier than the others. It would 
seem that weight has been sacrificed in a great many in- 
stances in order to breed a truer steel gray. This is due b, 
the influence of the fanciers. If the utility of Commercial 
Rabbits is to be fully developed, an effort must be made to 
restrict the fanciers to their own field and prevent them from 
foisting their fancies on the Commercial side of the rabbit 
industry. The fanciers raise irabbits only to kill time, while 
the utility men are exerting every effort to increase the food 
value of the stock. 

THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT breeds true to 
color. The perfect specimens are of an orange-red '~">lor. 



12 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 






FINE SPECIMEN NEW ZEALAND DOE 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 13 

more lustrous than yellow, and yet not so gaudy as red. The 
New Zealand combines beauty with usefulness, and it has 
made great progress on the Pacific Coast, where it is raised 
for food in immense numbers. 

FANCY FIRMLY ESTABLISHED 

The question of color is bound up with the aims of the 
fanciers, to whom it is all-important. It is certain that com- 
mercial rabbits which come up to the standards of weight, 
shape and color set down by the various clubs, or by the 
parent body of all rabbit clubs — the National Breeders and 
Fanciers' Association — bring prices w4iich are very tempting 
to the beginner, even if misleading. Thus, while the New 
Zealand Red Rabbit was produced by skillful breeders for 
the purpose of supplying the maximum amount of meat for 
the minimum feed cost, it is a fact beyond dispute that the 
fanciers have almost wholly captured the field, and by means 
of high prices offered for well-shaped and well-colored ani- 
mals, forced the great majority of beginners into the "fancy" 
side of the industry. The same is true of the Belgian and 
Flemish. A heavy Steel Gray Flemish Giant at maturity, 
if it conforms to the standard promulgated by the fanciers, 
will bring anywhere from twenty-five to one hundred dollars, 
while if it were sold for meat, it would not bring more than 
three or four dollars. Again, a Rufus Red Belgian Hare that 
conforms to the fancy standard for weight, shape and color, 
will bring from eight to twenty dollars, while if it were sold 
for meat, it would not bring more than two or three dollars. 

The best method, therefore, is to breed for weight, and 
yet select and mate those specimens which will be likely to 
produce the best colors. Thus, a fair percentage of fancy 
stock can be raised by a commercial breeder and sold at high 
prices. The fancy animals should pay the entire expenses of 
the plant, leaving the returns on the utility stock clear profit. 
This, in fact, is the method of the world's biggest breeder of 
New Zealand Reds. 

A healthy and enthusiastic interest in the ''fancy" is 
bound to produce a keen spirit of co-operation and steady 
progress in the industry. 

In Flemish, weight is everything, and so the utility man 
has a good chance to convert his best stock into big money 
at any time. 



14 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



CHAPTER II 
HISTORY AND ORIGIN 

The origin of commercial rabbits is shrouded in mystery 
■ — chiefly because the breeders of intermediate types were 
peasants of Central, Northern and Western Europe, who were 
unable to record their work. Even today, most breeders of 
commercial rabbits 'are men of no education, who, when they 
do write to the trade magazines, flounder in a morass of silly 
personalities, petty vanity and pointless gossip— and when 
you finish reading their memorabilia, you experience a dizzy 
sensation, as though, in a dream, you had been listening to 
the address of a cock magpie relating his adventure while 
gathering petty silverware and shining trinkets to deposit 
amongst the eggs in his lady's nest. 

Ihe history of the Rufus Red Belgian Hare is more 
readily available than that of other types of commercial rab- 
bits. The Rufus Red was perfected by English breeders dur- 
ing a period of nearly one hundred years, and most of the 
books printed on the subject that give any real information 
are published in England. It would probably be necessary 
to obtain a copy of some pd'ominent English journal devoted 
to commercial rabbits in order to obtain the names of pub- 
lishers or sellers of these invaluable books. Very few are 
published in America that really satisfies the beginner's crav- 
ing for real information. It does not follow that such infor- 
mation is not to be had in America, but it would require the 
work of a trained journalist to interview the successful fanciers 
and utility men of this country and to study the current pet 
stock and commercial rabbit magazines in order to gather 
that information into one volume that would present the sub- 
ject in readable and comprehensible form. 

The main weakness in most books published and sold by 
prominent breeders and fanciers is that they present the sub- 
ject from the "fancy" angle only. 

As a matter of fact, the average beginner is not entering 
the industry for glory, but for profits. He does not care two 
whoops in Hades foa* the niceties of color, shape and ticking,, 
fine bones, carriage and grooming — what he is out after is 
MEAT' — and MONEY. The meat and money is in commer- 
cial rabbits. 

The standard for Rufus Red Belgian Hares is eight 
pounds at maturity. A Belgian that weighs ove^ that is very 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



15 




16 COMMERCIAL f^ABBIT FARMING 

likely to be disqualified in the show room. This proves the 
fallacy of the present Association methods. If the commer- 
cial rabbit — and especially the Belgian Hare— is to have any 
firm foundation as a meat animal, the standard must not put a 
damper on the aims of the utility. Suppose, for instance, that 
hogs were disqualified at county fairs because of weight and 
preference given to lean, shapely animals. Manifestly, this 
would make of live stock raising a profession for the idle 
rich — a mere time-killing enterprise that would stifle the am- 
bition of farmers. The same principle holds good in com- 
mercial rabbits. 

The ambition of fanciers to breed fine-boned animals is 
good — we don't want bones in our meat animals — we want 
flesh. 

The foregoing- paragraphs may seem to be a digression. 
but the questions discussed are intimately bound up with the 
history and origin of Belgian Hares. The English fanciers, 
being for the most part hobby-riders, have consistently striven 
tO' produce an animal of racy appearance, fine bones and grace- 
ful carriage. The breeders have not made any great amount 
of money in their little enterprises, because they have pur- 
sued the silly fetich of beauty, rather than the sound ambition 
of usefulness. Most of the English fanciers are slaving at 
arduous tasks to make a living and spending their real genius 
in producing- an animal that is good for nothing else but show 
purposes, whereas, if they had been actuated by the right 
idea, they could have built up an industry that would have 
given them riches without heavy labor. The laughable part 
of it is that, while the English breeders are bending their 
energies in the direction of the "fancy," they are eating heavy 
■rabbits that are produced in Flanders and shipper across the 
channel to the meat shops of London. Thus, while the Eng- 
lish breeders have been decorating their parlor walls with 
blue ribbons, the Flemish breeders across the channel have 
been massing bank accounts. 

Off-hand, one would harbor the impression that the 
Flemish breeders of Belgium, Holland and adjacent parts, had- 
taken the results of the labors of the English breeders and 
turnedThem into cash, but such is not the case. The breed- 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 17 

ers of the Netherlands gave to England the original types out 
of which were produced the Rufus Red Belgian Hare, and 
while the English were muddling away with shapely animals, 
the continental breeders had continued their work and pro- 
duced a better meat animal. When I write of the ''Flemish" 
breeders, I do not mean the breeders of the Flemish Giants, 
but the breeders of all types of commercial rabbits in Fland- 
ers. 

There is an old book published a g'ood many years ago by 
a prominent poultry journal publishing company and still 
sold in considerable volume that contains about all that was 
known about commercial rabbits up to ten years ago in this 
country, but it is rather out of date now. Most of the books 
sold by different one-horse breeders are clumsy rehashes of 
this book, masquerading as original research. The book is 
called "The Belgian Hare Guide." 

It will be noticed that the Belgian Hare is described as 
that branch of the commercial rabbit family which was se- 
lected for fancy, and the Flemish Giant that which was 
selected for meat or utility. This is no longer true. The 
Flemish Giant itself has fallen under restrictive influence of 
the fanciers in late years, and weight has been sacrificed in 
the attempt to breed a pure steel gray strain. 

The foregoing material on histor^^ and origin has been 
quoted because of its first-hand information. 

It may be added that, as in the poultry industry, a good 
many breeders have experimented on their own account dur- 
ing recent years, and have produced various types of Com- 
mercial Rabbits, which they have given distinctive names. 
Thus, we see offered now and again the "Belgian" — a cross 
between Flemish and Belgian ; the Belgian Giant, which is 
nothing but a heavy type of Utility Belgian. 

The New Zealand Red Rabbit is said to be a cross be- 
tween the Russian White Giant and the Rufus Red Belgian 
Hare, but persistent line breeding is necessary to breed out 
the white bars or stripes which occurred in the original 
specimens. 



18 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

CHAPTER III 
THE ABORTIVE BOOM '——^"^^ 

When the Commercial Rabbit Business is mentioned 
nowadays in the presence of older people, they often pooh- 
pooh the idea of the Belgian Hare or other rabbits becoming 
a real industry. Of course, their scorn is at once swept away 
by the fact. The Belgian Hare, Flemish Giant and New 
Zealand Red Rabbit is now used for food in immense volume 
all over the country, and nearly all breeders eat their surplus 
bucks. 

However, the reason for the old folks' skepticism is that, 
about twenty years ago, just after the introduction of the 
Belgian Hare into this country, a great boom occurred, during 
which a good many breeders made big fortunes. This boom 
gradually subsided, although thousands of enthusiastic breed- 
ers kept right on producing fancy animals and selling them 
at fancy prices. 

But the main reason for the failure of the old boom, in 
my mind, was that advertising w^as not an exact science in 
those days, and so the independent breeders had no means of 
keeping the public interest alive. 

Today, there are columns and columns of classified ads 
in the newspapers and magazines devoted to the interesting 
selling plans of producers and assemblers of Commercial Rab- 
bits, and the public, upon answering these ads, is bombarded 
with a drum fire of attractive printed matter, presenting the 
subject to them in all its fascinating w^ays. Needless to say. 
a good many present-day breeders and assemblers are amass- 
ing big fortunes by selling Commercial Rabbits b}^ mail, while 
thousands of others are earning comfortable incomes or adding 
materially to their regular incomes. 

In order to illustrate the progress made in building up a 
permanent Commercial Rabbit Industry, perhaps no better 
method could be shown than that of reproducing the adver- 
tisements which appear in newspapers and periodicals. A 
selection of such advertising is here reproduced: 

BELGIAN HARES— Flemish. Reds. Clieckered Giants. Corre- 
spondence solicited. Prices attractive. 

FOR SALE — My entire stock of Belgians, Flemish Giants and 
New Zealand Pedigreed stock. Write for prices. 

RABBITRY FOR SALE— New Zealand, Giants, Belgians, 
"eared $1,400 last year; 10 acres, house, barn, windmill, etc. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



19 




20 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

RABBITS FOR SALE— Belgian Hares, Flemish Giants, Angoras, 
New Zealands, etc. Price right, stock right. 

LOOK — We have some good Flemish Giants in black, white and 
steel gray. Also New Zealand Reds. All stock pedigreed. For 
reasonable prices write. 

PEDIGREED BELGIAN HARES— Also ear tags, punches, 
stock and breeding record cards, pedigree cards for variety rabbits, 
crate cards, etc. Price list free. Full set of samples 10 cents. 

CHECKERED GIANTS 

CHECKERED GIANT RABBITRY— Breeders of thorough- 
bred and pedigreed Check-ered Giants. Snow white, jet black, steel 
gray Flemish Giants. 

FLEMISH GIANTS 

FLEMISH GIANTS — Winner of first prizes in the largest show 
in the state. Five to thirteen pounds. Two to ten dollars each. 
Also New Zealand Reds. 

, FOR SALE — A limited number of Commercial Giant rabbits, 
bred from the largest stock obtainable. Prices reasonable. State in 
first letter just what is wanted. 

FLEMISH GIANTS EXCLUSIVELY-^High class pedigreed 
stock from imported and domestic strains. Prices reasonable; in- 
quires promptly answered. 

FOR SALE — Flemish Giants, light gray, steel blacks. Bucks and 
does. Pedigreed. See mj- winnings at St. Louis, November, 1917; 
Chicago, December. 

FOR SALE — A Yew choice Steel Gray Flemish Giants. From 
pedigreed and registered stock. Heavy variety. Weigh from 15 to 
17 pounds. Stamp for reply. 

HEAVY WEIGHT FLEMISH GIANTS and Checkered Giants; 
registered and pedigreed stock; youngsters and breeders at reasonable 
prices; perfect health. Stamp for reply. 

FLEMISH GIANT and Rufus Red Belgian Hares— Pedigreed 
prize winning stock that have size, weight and color. Satisfaction. 

HARES WANTED! 
Belgian Hares, Flemish Giants, New Zealands 

We want to buy all the Hares and Rabbits you can produce, four 
months of age and up. We want only first-class pedigreed stock, 
free from disease with smooth coats. 

For several years we have bought from the largest breeders at 
Colorado Springs arid Denver, and as our business increases we must 
continually have more. If your Hares prove satisfactory, we will 
contract to handle all you can produce. 

-Remember, we are not on our way to the biggest rabbit business 
in this country, but have arrived. 

Give full description of your stock in first letter, correct age, 
weight and lowest price. 

Come on, let's' boom the Hare business. Get busy and raise 
some. Address. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 21 



AMERICA'S BEST STRAINS 

English and Dutch 

At the seven largest Eastern shows this season, I won 75 firsts, 
four. times best Rabbit in show. 

Judge Gibson says in his report of the Syracuse, N. Y., show: 
"The best lot of Dutch I ever judged in one show in my life. Some of 
them almost perfect." In such competition, with six entries, I won 
five firsts and one second. 

Any of my stock for sale. 

SPLENDID BREEDING STOCK FOR SALE 

Can make immediate delivery of Registered Belgians and Flem- 
ish. All registered in the N. P. S. Association. Stock of unusual 
quality, all ages. 

The foregoing ads were clipped from a recent issue of 
"Outdoor Enterprises," the leading commercial rabbit maga- 
zine of America, which is published at Kansas City, Mo., and 
they are fairly representative of the activity going one in the 
rabbit industry at present. Frankly, there is no intention of 
giving free advertising space to the advertisers shown, there- 
fore, the addresses are not given. 

The ads which follow were clipped from a recent issue 
of the American Poultry Advocate, and will serve to illus- 
trate the interesit in Commercial Rabbits which has been 
awakened amongst the unfortunate breeders of poultry, who 
have Deen operating mostly at a loss since the high prices of 
grain have prevailed : 

HARES— RABBITS— PET STOCK 

Belgian Hares 

TEN FINEST Belgian bucks, eight months. Conover pedigreed 
stock, $3.50 each. Ten six months, $2.50 each. 

PEDIGREED Belgian Hares, ear tags, dogs, poultry; illustrated 
catalogue and hare book, five stamps. 

RUFUS RED BELGIAN HARES— Breeders, $3.75 pair. Does 
or bucks, $2 each. Young stock. 4 to 6 months old, $1.25 each. 

RAISE BELGIAN HARES FOR ME— I furnish magnificent 
young thoroughbred Rufus Red stock at $3.00 each and buy all you 
raise at 30 to 60 cents per lb., live weight. Send ten cents for com- 
plete Breeder's Instruction Booklet. 



22 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

LISTEN! RABBIT BREEDERS! 

OUR handsome new supply catalog is just off the press; it prices 
and describes over 50 rabbit necessities that are essential to rabbit 
success. All you do is to write and ask for it and enclose a 1-cent 
stamp. 

LOTS OF BELGIAN HARES— Bucks, Ten Flemish bucks, 
ready for service. Checkered' Giants, German Greys, Lopears and 
Angoras. Exchanges made; no reply without stamp. 

RAISE BELGIAN HARES— New Zealand Reds, Flemish 
Giants. Wonderfully intereting magazine, tells where to sell for 
$2-00 to $15.00 each. Also covers all other outdoor industries, 10 
cents a copy (50 cents a year.) 

Similar ads appear in Sunday newspapers throughout the 
country, and in the big rural magazines and weekly news- 
papers, as well as in prominent standard magazines, such as 
Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, the Country Gentleman, 
and in the magazines devoted to outdoor sports such as Na- 
tional Sportsman, Field and Stream, etc. They are an index 
to the far-reaching effects of advertising — advertising which 
has rendered the commercial rabbit industry permanent 
through the dissemination of information. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



CHAPTER IV 

THT COMMERCIAL RABBIT FOR MEAT 

As a meat producer, the Commercial Rabbit has no equal. 
The meat is described as venison, and is white, fine-grained, 
palatable and far more nutritious than any other meat. It 
may be cooked in a variety of different ways, and so offers a 
decided relief to the housewife who despairs of ever finding- 
something new under the sun to set before her men folks. 

A clergyman, himself a breeder of Belgian Hares, con- 
tributes a very interesting article to a widely read publica- 
tion. An excerpt from his article follows : 

A word concerning the meat side of the industry. The East is 
just beginning to taste the delicious food. The man who has a con- 
tract to supply a certain Buffalo hotel once a week, finds it a hard 
task to get enough without paying exceedingly high prices for the 

hares. , • • i r i • 

Rabbit meat is simply delicious and when it is to be tound in 
the markets and people have had a taste, the demand will be so 
great that every farmer will have to turn to the industry to supply 
it and in supplying it he will make money/for the Belgian is raised 
to good eating size for 25 cents. What other meat can be produced 

^° '^^'P'^- . REV. CHARLES E. RHODES. 

Of course, there is a right and a wrong way of cooking 
commercial rabbits. The venison is in itself very delicious, 
as anyone will bear witness who has picked a leg out of a 
cold pie on a hot summer day, but there are so many delightful 
dishes that can be quickly and simply prepared that it may 
be interesting to smack one's lips over the following mstruc- 
tions : 

PREPARING HARES FOR THE TABLE 
A hare at the weight of about four to five pounds is 
about the right thing for a splendid dinner. In killing, grasp 
the hare firmly by the hind legs, hanging his head downward, 
striking the animal a sharp, quick blow on the back of the head. 
The throat should be cut immediately and the hare thorough- 
ly bled. Hang up by the gamble joints, just as you would 
hang up a sheep or hog. An opening should be made in the 
abdomen between the hind legs, and two or three times the 
carcass should be filled with water. To remove the hide, cut 
around the hind legs, cut across near the tail from one jomt 
' to the other and then turn the skin wrong side out, drawing 
toward the head carefullv until the rabbit is skinned. Thett 



24 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 




COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 25 

taking out the insides, saving the kidneys, cut off the feet at 
the first joint, wash carefully and then thoroughly dry with 
a cloth. The heart and liver may be saved, and the head, if 
you wish. Cut up the carcass and let stand in salt water for 
at least one hour. After it has been dressed, the hare may 
be kept two or three days. A few recipes for cooking the hare 
follow : 

TO FRY 

Old hares should never be fried, only the young. After 
cutting up, the pieces should be rolled in a mixture of pepper, 
salt and flour. Fry in hot lard. It takes about thirty-five to 
fifty minutes to cook thoroughly, according to the age and 
size. 

A GOOD ROAST 

Fill with dressing, made to suit the taste, well moistened 
with hot water. Sew up the carcass, sprinkle well with salt; 
put in your roasting pan some strips of pork laid over the 
carcass, or if you haven't the pork a few bits of butter. Bake 
in a medium oven from two and a half to four hours. 

PRESSED RABBIT 

Boil until well done. Take all meat from bones. Grind 
in meat grinder, season with salt and pepper to taste. Then 
pour over it the broth it was boiled in and press the same as 
chicken. 

HARE SPANISH 

One onion sliced, one chili pepper, three or four medium 
tomatoes. Put these into a stewpan with a small amount of 
water and let come to the boil. After cutting the hare in 
pieces, put into this as soon as it comes to a boil. Then 
add about a teaspoonful of salt and just enough hot water 
to cover. Just before it is done, thicken with flour and butter. 

AN ONION ROAST 

Take a small roasting pan, place a layer of onions in the 
bottom and, cutting the meat into pieces, put a layer of 
onions on this and alternate until you have filled your pan. In 
making an onion roast, a double roasting pan should be used. 
Do not use water, as the onions will furnish enough moisture 
to finish the roast. 



l(i COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

RABBIT CURRIE 

Cut into joints, putting in the stewpan a couple of table- 
spoonfuls of butter and a few slices of onion to taste. After 
it is well browned, add a good cupful of soup stock, then a 
tablespoonful flour and currie mixed smooth with a little 
water. Place this in the pan with pepper and salt to taste. 
If desired, a heaping teaspoonful of mushroom powder may 
be used. Let simmer gently for an hour or two ; add about 
a tablespoonful lemon juice with a little parsley. Serve with 
boiled rice. 

TO BROIL 

They should be boiled in salted water about five minutes, 
then dried and put on the broiler as soon as possible. Season 
to taste. 

RABBIT RECIPES 

Rabbit — the meat of the epicure. 

—Vesta S. Heath. 
''Now good digestion wait on appetite 
And health on both !" 

— Shakespeare. 
The housewife who must pay 20 or 22^ cents in the open 
market for Flemish, Belgian, or New Zealand Rabbits will 
find fried rabbit a satisfactory dish. But the one who raises 
them in her own back yard will find a variety of ways of 
cooking and using this excellent meat a necessity, that rabbit 
may be served several times a week without over-doing. 
Though some might doubt that this could be over-done. 
Money talks and sO' does rabbit raising when the grocery 
bills are lessened by raising your own meat at home. 

POT ROAST RABBIT 

Cut the rabbit, roll in flour, brown in hot fat, cover with 
boiling water, add salt, pepper, one carrot and one onion. 
Cover the kettle tightly, so that all the flavor will be retained. 
Simmer until tender. If an old rabbit, it will take two or 
three hours. Drop in dumplings fifteen minutes before serv- 
ing. This recipe is suitable for the fireless cooker. 

A BREAKFAST DISH 

When preparing corn meal mush for frying, stir in one- 
half cup of chopped, cooked rabbit meat (well seasoned) just 
before turning mush into the pan to mould ; a square, shallow 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 27 

pan is best. Let cool over night. Cut in half-inch slices, roll 
in flour, and fry. 

JELLIED RABBIT 

One rabbit, one slice of onion, one bay leaf, six pepper- 
corns, three stalks of celery, one envelope gelatine, one-half 
cup water. 

Cook rabbit in boiling water until tender, or until the 
meat slips from the bones. Remove from the kettle. Add 
vegetables and spices to the broth with salt to taste. Cook 
until reduced to one quart. Strain, add gelatine softened in 
one-half cup of water. Place rabbit meat in a square mold and 
pour broth over it. Set aside in a cold place. Garnish with 
celery leaves and stars cut from pimentos. Serve in thin 
slices. 

SOME 'TET" BELGIAN HARE RECIPES 

By F. C. Cross, Bocring, Colo. 

Roast Rabbit— Place the rabbit or hare, carefully dressed, 
but whole, into a kettle. Add a quart of water and a pinch 
of soda and stew until slightly tender, then take from the 
broth and stuff with well seasoned bread crumbs, which have 
been moistened with the broth. Wrap the carcass with 
twine and lay in a pan, spread with butter, sprinkle with salt 
and pepper, and bake to a rich brown. Serve with a brown 
gravy made from the broth, season by adding a little browned 
onion or garlic. 

Roast Rabbit No. 2 — Have the rabbit dry, truss it, and 
stuff as follows: Beef suet, chopped fine; a few bread 
crumbs; a little thyme, marjorm, and savory; add a little 
lemon peel; pepper and salt, mixed together with an tgg; 
put this into the carcass and sew it up. Suspend it before 
a good fire, but dO' not put it too close at first ; baste it well 
with butter or veal drippings, and dredge it well with flour 
two or three times. When it is sufficiently roasted, place 
the rabbit in a hot dish; put a little water in a sauce pan, a 
lump of butter rolled in flour, and pour the gravy in, from 
the dripping pan; boil and pour over the rabbit and serve. 

Stewed Raboit — Wash the rabbits well ; cut them in 
pieces, and put them in to scald for a few minutes. Melt a 
piece of butter in which fry or brown the rabbits for a short 
time. When slightly browned, dust in some flour; then add 



28 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

as much gravy or hot water as will make sufficient soup. Put 
in onions or garlic, catsup, pepper and salt, according to 
taste. Stew for an hour slowly. 

Fried Rabbit — Let the rabbit soak for several hours, or 
over night, in salt water. Roll in flour, salt and pepper, then 
fry until brown. If the w41d taste of game is objectionable, 
this may be removed by first parboiling in water in w^hich a 
little salt and a slice or two of onion has been added, then 
fry as above. 

Rabbit Fricasse — After dressing, let stand about two 
hours in water Avith two teaspoonfuls of salt and one of soda. 
Rinse well and skin off all the second thin skin. Then cook 
until well done, in as little water as possible, in which a little 
salt has been added. Remove the rabbit and roll in seasoned 
flour, then fry in hot lard until nicely browned. In the mean- 
time, add two cups of milk to a little of the broth, return the 
rabbit, let cook fifteen minutes, add a little thickening made 
of flour and water and bring to boiling point. 

Barbecued Rabbit — Take a nice, plump, young rabbit be- 
fore it is cut up, wipe dry and make eight or ten gashes across 
the backbone with a sharp knife. Now brush with olive oil 
and broil before a clear fire, turning often so as to cook evenly 
on all sides. Lay on a hot dish, season with salt and pepper 
and add plenty of butter, then set in the oven long enough 
for the butter to thoroughly soak in. Heat in a granite cup or 
small pan two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and one of ordi- 
nary mustard. Bring this to the boiling point, and quickly 
brush this over the rabbit. Garnish with parsley or water- 
cress and serve with current or other tart jelly. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 29 

CHAPTER V 
HOW IT SOLVES THE MEAT PROBLEM 

The foregoing chapter on dressing and cooking, while 
relating to the Belgian Hare, is equally applicable to the other 
types of Commercial Rabbits. As meat, they all taste the 
same, and all yield the same percentage of nutrition. 

But the mere fact that the Commercial Rabbit is good for 
food does not signify anything important — the big question 
is — can it be produced cheaply? 

Farmers nowadays prefer to sell their corn at high prices, 
rather than feed it to perishable live stock and wait another 
year or so for returns that are only sure if the stock lives, 
and the price of meat does not fall lower than that of grain. 
As a matter of fact, it is cheaper to sell the grain, or rather 
more profitable. 

The cattle supply has been falling off for ten years, it 
is reported from many reliable sources, and it is said that 
twenty years will be required to catch up with the normal 
demand for meat at reasonable prices. This is plausible 
enough when you consider that a cow has only one calf a year, 
and that calf does not become of breeding age until two years 
later. Thus it takes three years before you begin to see any 
results worth speaking of in the cattle business. In sheep 
and hogs, the progress is swifter, but the returns are not 
striking in any sense. 

Poultry raising is being looked upon with distrust by ex- 
perienced breeders, since the high prices of grain have pre • 
vailed. It is said by many that, on a small plant, it costs 
about $2.00 per dozen to produce one's own eggs, and about 
$1.00 to raise a 50 cent chicken. Manifestly, conditions of 
this sort will not attract much capital or energy to these in- 
dustries. 

But let us consider the Commercial Rabbit. It is raised 
in a hutch only a few feet square. You build upward instead 
of outward — that is, a fairly big rabbitry can be erected on a 
few square feet of ground space by building it in tenement 
form. 

The Commercial Rabbit breeds all the year around, and 
there is very little guess-work about it. You can never tell 
how m.any eggs a hen will lay — or even whether she will lay 
any — and you can't tell whether the eggs will be fertile when 



30 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 




u 

m 

X 
in 

s 

W 

< 
o 

w 

H 
en 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 31 

laid. On the other hand, it is possible to raise a definite num- 
ber of litters per year from each rabbit, and possible to figure 
on an average number of young in each litter. 

There is no other animal or fowl that multiplies so rapidly 
as the rabbit. Scrub rabbits and game rabbits" produce as 
many as eight litters a year, while carefully handled Com'mer- 
cial Rabbits produce about five, or at least four. In each 
litter, an average of seven may be conservatively expected, 
so that about thirty rabbits can be raised from one doe in a 
year. If killed for meat when they weigh five pounds apiece, 
one hundred and fifty pounds of meat have been produced 
from one doe in a year. 

But many breeders kill off only the bucks, keeping the 
does for breeding- purposes. The young does may be bred 
when tight months old — even earlier, so that the possible 
production from a single doe in one year is lost in a maze 
of figures. Suffice it to say, it is astoundingly big, and the 
world's meat supply can be increased indefinitely in a very 
short time, if vigorous advertising is employed to educate the 
people to the possibilities of the industry. 

As to feed cost, most breeders report it so negligible 
that they never figure it in their cost of production. Commer- 
cial Rabbits will thrive on table scraps, such as stale bread, 
the peelings of vegetables and fruits, waste cooked vegetables, 
ordinarily thrown away as g'arbage, used tea leaves mixed 
with bread crumbs, grass, lawn clippings, leaves, barks and 
scraps from the back yard garden. They eat any kind of 
hay or grain, any kind of meal, or any kind of cattle fodder. 

It is always best to order the stock before beginning to 
build the hutches, because the average breeder is always run- 
ning to capacity and will require at least a couple of weeks' 
time in which to fill the order. This time can be used in build 
ing hutches and making ready for the stock. 



32 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

CHAPTER VI 
PERTINENT STATISTICS 

The bulletin on Belgian Hares and Commercial Rabbits 
issued by the Department of Agriculture of the United State? 
Government gives as the cost of feeding and care, six cents 
per pound. This figure has, no doubt, been arrived at by 
comparing the declared costs of different breeders, or from 
the actual records of that branch of the department devoted 
to Commercial Rabbit Culture. 

A good many successful breeders, however, declare that 
this cost is toO' high, and that rabbits can be raised more 
cheaply. The following figures, obtained from a big breeder 
in Missouri, are interesting: 



FEBRUARY, 1918 

Average stock, 300 Rabbits per day 

FEED COST 

3 bushels oats, 85c per bushel $2.55 

50 pounds alfalfa meal, .022c per pound 1.10 

1 bale prairie hay. . . 1.25 

For the month i $4.90 

It is probable that, added to this feed, was a great deal of 
stale bread and scrap vegetables which were probably ob- 
tained for nothing. 

A report from another breeder, giving the feed cost of 
sixty rabbits, is of interest because it shows the cost of feeding 
roots. 



FEED COST FOR SIXTY RABBITS 

Month of January, 1918 

Sugar beets $1.00 

Oats 85 

Clover hay 88 

$2.73 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 33 

NUTRITIVE VALUE OF MEAT 

The food value of rabbit venison is recognized by nearly 
all doctors. A New York physician, writing to the California 
Cultivator, gives the following interesting table: 

Beef gives 55 per cent net nutriment 

Mutton gives 65 per cent net nutriment 

Pork gives 75 per cent net nutriment 

Chicken gives 50 per cent net nutriment 

Rabbit gives 83 per cent net nutriment 

This doctor recommends Belgian Hare venison for in- 
valids and old people — for consumptives and anaemic patients. 






n/', -■■./• 







34 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

CHAPTER VII 

THE COMMERCIAL RABBIT BUSINESS 

The name ''Commercial Rabbits" was first used by a St. 
Louis breeder in 1917, to indicate all heavy breeds of rabbits 
raised in hutches. The name has been adopted by nearly all 
breeders now. Its importance was not at first fully realized 
until that unless domestic rabbits were universally declared to 
be commercial rabbits, thev would fall under restrictive laws 
passed by the different states to govern the sale and shipment 
of game rabbits. For instance, the average breeder of Belgian 
Hares would be shocked and outraged if he should be ar- 
rested for shipping rabbits out of Pennsylvania, and yet there 
would be danger of it unless the rabbits were declared to be 
commercial rabbits, and not game rabbits. 

The growth of the commercial rabbit business during 
the past twO' years has been so rapid that there are no avail- 
able statistics to indicate the volume of business that has been 
transacted. 

Most commercial rabbit businesses are conducted by 
mail. Advertisements are placed in various newspapers, mag- 
azines and class journals. These advertisements usually in- 
vite an inquiry, and the inquiry is followed up with printed 
matter which educates the prospect tO' a realization of the value 
of domestic rabbits for food and fancy and invites an order 
for selected breeding stock. 

The demand for all types of commercial rabbits is so large 
and so constant that no advertiser can hope to raise enough 
stock to meet that demand. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 35 

CHAPTER VIII 
HOW TO BEGIN 

The best way to begin raising commercial rabbits is to 
order the stock at once. Having ordered it, the prospective 
breeder will have to hustle and prepare his hutches. Without 
this incentive, it is more than likely that the prospective 
breeder will keep putting off the purchase of his stock until 
finally his interest cools and the opportunity is buried in the 
grave of dead ambitions. 

The question of what type or breed of commercial rabbits 
to begin with is largely one of opinion. While more Belgian 
Hares are sold than any other type of commercial rabbit, 
this does not necessarily mean that the Belgian Hare is the 
most reliable breed — although the dyed-in-the-wool Belgian 
breeder honestly thinks so. 

It is well, therefore, to bear in mind the various qualities 
of commercial rabbits when deciding upon the type to raise. 

1. The Belgian Hare is said to be one of the most prolific 
of domestic rabbits. The litters contain from five to eleven, 
or even thirteen, young. Of these, about eight can be raised 
if some skill is exercised in feeding the mother doe and the 
litter. The Belgian weighs from seven to nine pounds at ma- 
turity, increasing in weight at the rate of about one pound 
per month from weaning age. 

2. The Flemish Giant Rabbit is also very prolific. It 
bears from five to nine young in each litter, but the weight of 
these rabbits is so much greater than that of the Belgian that 
they produce a great deal more stock, pound for pound, than 
any other tppe of commercial rabbit. 

3. The New Zealand Red Rabbit is quite as prolific as 
the Belgian Hare. The chief argument made by the breeders 
of new Zealands is that it eats less and matures more quickly 
than any other type of commercial rabbit. The New Zea- 
land attains a weight of from nine to eleven pounds at ma- 
turity, usually beating the Belgian Hare by about two pounds. 

The next question is how many to start with. This de- 
pends upon the amount of money the prospective breeder can 
invest. Most breeders begin with a trio — or two does and 
one buck. 



36 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



Many beginners hesitate over the question of whether to 
buy young- or mature stock. This, again, is largely a ques- 
tion of how much money is available for a start. If young 
stock is bought the beginner must have patience while wait- 
ing for the stock to reach breeding age. Young or baby stock, 
of course, costs much less than mature stock, but young ani- 
mals need more care than mature ones. 

The processes by which the beginner enters the field, 
therefore, are as follows : 

1. Decide upon the kind of rabbits to buy. 

2. Decide upon what age to select. 

3. Order the stock. 

4. Build the hutches. 




COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



Zl 




W 
O 
Q 

Q 
W 

f^ 

Q 

< 
N 

W 

o 
o 



38 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

CHAPTER IX 
HOUSES OR HUTCHES 

A cage for a rabbit is called a hutch. The simplest way 
to make a hutch is to cover half the open front of a big box 
with poultry wire and the other half with a door — and, Presto ! 
your hutch is made. 

But the main idea in hutch building is to make it easy 
to clean out, roomy, free from draughts and yet well venti- 
lated. Where boxes are used for hutches, it is wise to make 
a sort of ventilator near the ceiling of the hutch. An oblong 
hole covered with wire will do, but it should have a sort of 
awning, made of either wood or canvas, to keep the rain from 
driving in. Little details like that may not seem important 
to the mind of the beginner, but they are very important in- 
deed. It should be remembered that the rabbit has to live 
in the box, week in and week out, and that it must have fresh 
air to breathe, just the same as a human being. 

When building special hutches, it is a good idea to have 
the floor of each hutch slope gently to the front, so that the 
muck and moisture will drain away. To build hutches with 
sloping floors, it is only necessary to erect a series of shelves, 
one above the other, and to divide these shelves into hutches 
by means of either wooden or wire partitions, and to cover 
the front of each hutch with a door made of wire netting 
nailed over a framework of wood. To render the hutches 
weather-tight, a drop curtain of burlap may be nailed to the 
top of the hutch and let down over the front on stormy nights 
or during the winter. 

If boxes are used for hutches, they may be stacked one on 
top of the other, just the same as shelf hutches. 

Hutches may be kept either indoors or out. If built out- 
doors, it is a good idea to erect a shed over them, so as to keep 
the direct rays of the violent summer sun from striking the 
roof and sides of the hutch and making it like an oven. 

When building hutches indoors, one of the main things 
to provide for is sunshine. Raboits love to bask in the winter 
sun or in the early morning summer sun, and it does them 
a world of good. Remember that sunshine is the greatest 
germicide. If, therefore, the hutches are erected in a shed, it 
is a good idea to cut a large window in the south wall of the 
shed to admit light. This window may be covered with wire 
netting and, in winter, if desired, with a glazed sash. 

Sunshine, however, is not absolutely essential, and many 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



39 



breeders are raising splendid stock in a dim corner of a big 
barn. Thus, if any prospective rabbit farmer has a building 
or part of a building available for raising stock, the mere fact 
that little or no sunshine reaches the spot should not for a 
moment deter him from engaging in the business. 

The main essentials in hutch building, then, are as fol- 
lows : Dry floors, protection from rain and draughts, sun- 
shine, if possible, and ventilation. 

A PRACTICAL RABBITRY 

The rabbitry herewith presented is 6x10 feet and 7>^ feet 
high at gable point, while under eaves the height is 63^ feet. 
It contains twelve hutches, in three separate stories, each 
hutch being 3x5x2 feet. Hutches are open on one end, cov- 
ered with one-inch poultry netting. Drop curtain for stormy 
days. Nest box in back part of each hutch. Double doors 
held in position by screen door coil springs. Partitions made 
of wood. North side same as south side; east side same as 
west side. 




/dooss \ j r?oo«s\ 






3y.s 



3X5 

\ DOORS 



ays 



■ i. C ' 

A 



10 FT. 



3^(5 

DOORS r 



FIGI ^'^-^ 

Rabbitry Ground Plan 

Wherever possible, this rabbitry should be placed under 
trees, so as to give shade in summer. Have wire-covered ends 
face east and west, in order to give each row of hutches sun 
in winter time. 

First — Make frame in four parts, two parts as in Fig. 3 
and two parts as in Fig. 4. 

TO MAKE 

Parts of frame as in Fig. 3 are made as follows : 

Tw^o outside uprights are 1x6x6^ ; middle upright, lxl2x 
7}4. Cross-pieces are 1x6x10. Two outer upright pieces are 
nailed so as to protrude ^4 ii^ch (or exact thickness of board) 
on either end of cross-pieces. Gable piece is made by cutting 
board 1x12x5 diagonally into two equal parts, as in Fig. 5. 



40 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 





^ , =,1 


ZfT 












n 


2FT 












1 


.2 FT 











2. FT 




2 FT 




a FT 







OPEN WIRE 

PAQT ; 



17 



FiCt 3 
(inside viEwJ 



(_INSlDE ViEvv) 



OPEN/ WIRE 
Part 

riG.6 



Parts of frame, as in Fig. 4, are made thus : Uprights are 
1x6x6^ ; lower cross-piece, 1x6x5 feet 10^ inches ; three upper 
cross-pieces, 1x4x5 feet 10^ inches. 

Next set up parts of frame on cement blocks, nailing cor- 
ners as shown in Fig. 6. 

Now, being sure corners are placed at perfect rectangle, 
begin to lay floors. Use ceiling (fir is worked more easily 
than hard pine), putting grooved side downward. First, how- 
ever, put a 1x6x6 board through center of frame, running 
parallel with and exactly below gable, nailing it so as to stand 
on edge, even with top of lower cross-pieces of frame parts, 
this together with lower cross-pieces, to form foundation on 
which to nail lower floor. Now, using 10-foot ceiling, lay 
lower floor, nailing strips of ceiling lengthwise of building. 

Next, take a piece of one-inch poultry netting two feet 
wide and a few inches longer than six feet and nail it to the 
inside of fronts of lower hutches. Do the same on either open 
front end. 

Then put in partitions for lower set of four hutches. (See 
ground plan. Fig. 2). A handy way of making and putting in 
partitions is shown in Fig. 7. 

Next, put in nest boxes for lower set of four hutches. Each 
nest box is made of two boards 1x12x3, which are nailed to- 
gether in the form of a rectangle, a hole having been cut into 
one end for animals to pass through, and then hinged to back 
wall of each hutch. (See Figs. 8, 9 and 10, and also Fig. 2). 

Fig. 8 shows a nest box ready for use; Fig. 9, nest box 
hooked out of the way for cleaning or inspection. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



41 



i^"-^ 




Now lay second floor, put on poultry netting", put in parti- 
tions and nest boxes ; third floor, etc., till all is done. On top 
of upper partitions another board 1x12x6 and another roof- 
piece made as in Fig. 5 are needed. 

Whereupon roof may be nailed and doors hung, which 
finishes rabbitry. Doors should be 22 inches wide, which is 
four inches wider than openings, which are 18 inches, so as 
to- lap over on outside. They may be made of 12-inch and 10- 
inch boards fastened together with cleats. A good plan is 
to fit double door to close over each other diagonally. See 
Fig. 11. 




riG.s 



:^ 



FIG 11 



FIG lO 



Fig 9 



Doors are held in position by screen door coil springs and 
may be hooked, only one hook being necessary for one double 
door. 

For the benefit of those who desire a smaller rabbitry, 
Figs. 12 and 13 show one-half as large, with single row of 



42 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



S^^ 


Tl 








fc 




m X 


" I 

X 






. J— 


m 




^-^ 






jS^Sywy 




-r- 






^^ 


X3 9 


"^ 




^\"' 






Li V. 


'^°^"^^PM. 






S FT. 



hutches, made practically the same as one with double rows. 
Where this single kind is used, open wire front should face 
south. 







FIGr. 14- 

The big breeder will do well to use double kind, placing a 
number of them in a series under one roof and leaving aisles 



between them, ends of roof projecting to give attendant shelter 
in bad weather. See Fig. 14. Also where single rows of 
hutches (Fig. 12) are used, they may be placed in series under 
one roof, ends of roof projecting as in Fig. 14. Aisles in this 
cut are 2^ feet wide. Ends of roof also extend 2^^ feet. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 43 



CHAPTTR X. 

FEEDING 

Rabbits eat anything a sheep or a horse will eat — and a 
great deal more. Any kind of grain is good, and any kind' 
of hay. If this g-eneral statement puzzles the reader, the fol- 
lowing table of feeding will shed more light on the subject' 

MOKNING— EVENING— 

Oats Alfalfa 

Stale bread Alfalfa meal 

Rolled barley, Carrots 

Field corn (on the cob) Bark of trees 

Grass Dry bran 

Bran and oats mash Rutabago 

Beets Clover 

Used tea leaves and meal Vegetable scraps 

This does not mean that the breeder must give all the dit 
ferent feeds indicated above. He may use any of them. It 
is a good idea, however, to vary the feed a bit. 

Most breeders feed twice a day — morning and evening 
Some breeders, however, feed only once a day. As to the 
quantity required for each rabbit, this is something that can- 
not be definitely set down. The thing to remember is that 
the rabbits should clean up everything given them. If any 
feed is left over from a previous meal when the next feeding 
time comes, it is best to cut down the rabbit's allowance by 
exactly what was left. 

The question of whether rabbits should be fed green stuf * 
exclusively is one that has been answered both ways by many 
breeders. The majority of successful breeders, however, re- 
gard oats or barley as a necessary part of the rabbit's rations. 
It is not safe to feed baby rabbits green stuff — it should be 
fed only very sparingly, and it should never be given wet, as 
it has a tendency to cause diarrhea in young stock. 



44 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



0) 

> O 
O 



1 1 -3 



to OJ 5 



0_c 



be 



rt r1 <D 

o^ 

rt be 

en O 

bcco 

(L) 

H 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



CHAPTER XI. 
BREEDING AND SELECTING 

Commercial rabbits will breed a maximum of six times 
a year, but it is probable that the does would not last long 
if bred that often. Most breeders try to get from four to five 
litters a year. 

From five to ten, or even more, young ones occur in each 
litter, but since the doe has but eight teats, it is rare that 
more than eight can be raised successfully. Ten young ones 
in a litter, however, have been raised time and again by 
breeders. It is necessary to feed the doe milk-producing foods, 
in order that she may provide sufficient nourishment for the 
litter. Carrots and other roots and vegetables are best for 
this purpose, although plenty of oats and hay should also 
be fed. 

Commercial rabbits are bred just like cattle — that is, the 
buck is always kept by himself and, when used, the doe is 
placed in his hutch. The service need occupy only a few- 
minutes. If the doe is willing, the buck mounts, and he will 
immediately effect the service and roll over on his side or 
fall backward. Until he rolls over in this way, the service 
has not been effected. 

If the doe is unwilling, she will either hug the floor or 
run away, and, after waiting about five or ten minutes, it 
is best to take her out if the buck has not effected the service. 
The doe should be tried every day until she takes the buck. 

Virgin does do not readily breed, and it is necessary to be 
persistent in placing them with the. buck, trying them each 
day until they do take him. After a doe has once been bred, 
however, she rarely gives any trouble on this score. 

SELECTING 

Selecting is a process that requires considerable skill, 
which is acquired only by experience. Selection is simply 
the method of choosing parents to produce better offspring 
than themselves. Mau}^ factors enter into the problem. Thus, 
a rabbit cannot be heavier than the capacity of its frame or 
bony structure. When selecting breeding specimens for pro- 
ducing a heavy strain, it is necessary to select large-boned 
animals. Some animals are round and fat as a football but 
have no length to speak of. When handling specimens ot 
this kind for breeding, it is wise to mate them with a long- 
framed,, huge-boned animal, in order to combine the de- 
sirable features of each. ^ 



46 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 




COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



CHAPTER XII. 

CARE OF THE YOUNG 

The problem of caring for the young- may be summed up 
in the single word "horse-sense" — that is, common sense 
should be used. Thus, many breeders complain that they lose 
young rabbits from a complaint known as ''slobbers." When 
ailing with this, young rabbits slaver at the mouth and their 
fur becomes wet, while their whole aspect is one of profound 
dejection and distress. 

It is caused by indigestion. The little stomachs being 
used only to a milk diet obtained from the teat of the mother 
doe, they are not able to at once digest the heavy feed given 
them immediatelv after weaning. This would seem at first to 
be a very discouraging matter to grapple with, but such is 
not the case. , 

If the reader should eat nothing but raw food, he would 
also get the equivalent of slobbers or terrible indigestion — 
that's why human beings cook their food. The same thing 
applies to young animals. If the food of young rabbits is 
cooked, it will not give them indigestion. 

Thus, instead of giving oats right out of the feed sack, 
it is best to put them in a pan or dish and cover them with 
water. Then place the pan or dish on a fire or gas burner 
and let the oats cook until the water has steamed away. Now 
add a little salt to the oats, mix with bran, and feed. The 
result will be a thick mash, and the rabbits will enjoy it. 
It is also good for older stock. 

When weaned, the young ones should be given a hutch 
somewhat bigger than the hutch in which they were Dorn, 
so that they can romp and grow. It is important to keep 
this hutch warm and clean and dry. The floor should be 
covered with sawdust, dry leaves, straw or hay, and water 
should be before the stock at all times. It is a good idea to 
place a box or platform inside the hutch for the young ones 
to jump on for exercise and play. 

At four months old, the sexes should be separated, as at 
this age the bucks will begin to fight, and there is alway.-^ 
dang-er of a young doe being bred too early to a brother. 



48 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 




COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 49 

It is easy to tell the bucks at this age, as the testicles are 
plainly visible, slightly forward between the hind legs, while 
if the organ is pressed upon with thumb and forefinger the 
sex is otherwise determinable. In the does, an oblique slit 
will appear under this pressure, and in the bucks a round hole. 

Brothers and sisters must not be mated. 

Stale bread is good for rabbits. It is already cooked, so it 
does not cause anv complications. Bread, it will be remem- 
bered, is made by baking it in an oven. 

A verv little green stuff is good for baby rabbits — just a 
sprig or so a day per rabbit. It conditions them. But if 
large quantities of green stuff are heaped into a hutch, the 
young ones will eat until they get the diarrhea, and they will 
"begin to die, one by one. 

When the old doe has been bred, she must be kept in a 
hutch by herself. During a period of from ten days to one 
hour before she is due to deliver, she will build a nest of straw 
or hay, which she will line with fur torn from her breast. A 
nesting box, high and roomy, should be provided inside the 
hutch, so that she can build her nest out of sight and away 
from wind and weather. 

The day after the young ones are born, the mother does 
should be removed gently from the hutch, and the young ones 
counted into a hat or basket. They must not be allowed to 
get cold. If there happens to be a dead one in the litter, it 
should be thrown out, and the rest replaced. After that, the 
old doe may be put back in the hutch, and the nest should 
not be bothered again until the young ones begin to toddle 
out, which will be in about two weeks. At this time, the nest 
box should be cleaned out thoroughly and fresh straw or hay 
placed in it. 

At six weeks old, the young ones may be weaned. It is 
best to take say two away from the doe each day, until all 
are w^eaned. The young ones should now be fed cooked oats 
and a little green stuff, with plenty of clover and alfalfa hay. 



50 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



CHAPTER XIII. 
THE UTILITY 

The utility is known as that end of the industry which is 
concerned chiefly with the production of heavy animals in- 
tended to produce meat stock, and while the finest breeding 
stock of utility types costs good money, it is necessary to get 
fine stock in order to have a good foundation on which to build 
up a herd. 

There is a ready market for the meat at the commission 
houses everywhere, and direct to the hotels and restaurants. 
Prices vary from 20 to 35 cents per pound, while assemblers 
of breeding- stock will at present pay up to 30 cents per pound 
for trios to be used for breeding purposes. 

The skins can be sold readily. There are several firms in 
St. Louis which offer good prices for skins. These skins are 
used in the manufacture of felt hats and are also dyed and 
specially prepared to sell as imitation furs. Flemish Giant 
skins are especially valuable for this purpose. 

When breeding for utility, it is best not to pay much 
attention to the advice on breeding given by notable fanciers 
in their books, as they advise raising only small litters, and 
only one or twO' litters a year. This advice is manifestly all 
wrong when you are breeding for volume. The idea is to 
get the largest possible litters, and as many litters each year 
as the doe can safely stand. Experience will teach just how 
big the litters should be, and how many litters the doe can 
stand. If the doe falls off in weight, it is best to give her a 
rest for some weeks. Each doe is a study in herself, and one 
doe can stand more than another. It all depends upon the 
vigor of the stock. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 51 



CHAPTER XIV. 

DISEASES AND REMEDIES 

■ The Commercial Rabbit is singularly immune from sick- 
ness if kept clean and fed regularly. If, however, the rabbit 
takes cold from draughts or dampness, a complaint known 
as snuffles will set in, most likely. The rabbit gets a snotty 
nose, and its fur becomes rough and disordered. Colds are 
always accompanied by fever, and so the first thing to do is 
to check the fever. This can be accomplished by placing a 
few drops of Aconite in the drinking water. Tincture of 
Aconite may be bought at any drug store. A dime's worth 
will be enough to last for months and months. The dose 
is about twelve drops to the gallon of water. This should be 
continued daily for a week or more. 

Then the secretions of mucous in the nasal passages must 
be removed, and this can be accomplished by squirting a 
strong antiseptic up each nostril twice a day. The best anti- 
septic for this purpose is one put up in a collapsible tube, 
because the end of the tube can be applied to the nostril and 
the stuff squirted up by pressing the tube. It is important 
tO' see that the antiseptic is not strong enough to burn the 
animal. Thus, solutions of carbolic acid or Lysol cannot be 
used. The best antiseptic for rabbits is called HIKE ANTI- 
SEPTIC. It is put up in tinfoil collapsible tubes and is sold 
by most drug stores. It costs from 19. to 25 cents per tube. 
Wicks Salve is also recommended by one of our leading 
Judges. These remedies are not intended for rabbits, but are 
sold as a general antiseptic to be used by human beings for 
wounds and skin troubles as well as catarrhal conditions of 
the nose and throat. The reason it is recommended in this 
book is because it cannot harm the rabbit and always corrects 
the condition. Any antiseptic that has like qualities may be 
used with equal effectiveness. 

After the fever has been checked, and the secrtions of 
mucous expelled from the nasal passages, the rabbit will 
rapidly recover. Powdered bluestone sprinkled over oats or 
alfalfa meal hastens recovery. Snuffles in rabbits is practical- 
ly the same things as glanders in horses, and any treatment 
good for glanders is usually good for snuffles in rabbits. 



32 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

DIARRHEA 

Diarrhea is often caused by feeding wet green stuff or 
too much green stuff, and the remedy is dry feed and milk to 
drink. Diarrhea can be detected easily, as the droppings will 
be soft, and the hutch disagreeably dirty. 

WORMS 

Worms are rare in rabbits. Wash blueing is good for 
worms, or an}^ good worm remed}^ used for other stock. The 
ailment causes the animal to become thin and ematiated, and 
no time should be lost in getting rid of the parasites. 

POT BELLY 

Pot Belly is usually caused by overfeeding, and it occurs 
miost often in young stock about two or three months old. 
The ailing rabbits should be starved for a whole day and a 
little green stuff given until the condition is removed. Exer- 
cise is necessary, and it is better if the rabbit can be turned 
loose on a big floor. Pot Belly is easily detected. The belly 
of the rabbit becomes distended as though the animal had 
been blown up with a bicycle pump. A good dose of castor 
oil helps. 

ROT AND MANGE 

Rot and Mange are very rare, but the disease is often 
fatal. The animal becomes covered with scabs and grows 
thin. Rot and Mange are treated under one heading here 
because the average breeder is unable to detect whether the 
rabbit has one or the other. The remedy is a mixture of 
sulphur and lard, which should be rubbed over the sores. The 
breeder who keeps his hutches clean will never be troubled 
with these ugly complaints. 

SLOBBERS 

Slobbers often attacks young rabbits just weaned. It is 
nothing but acute indigestion. The little rabbit slavers at -the 
mouth, and its fur becomes wet around its mouth, forelegs 
and upper breast. The rabbit should be starved for twelve 
hours and salt rubbed in its mouth and on its forepaws. The 
food thereafter should be cooked to aid digestion. Slobbers 
is easv to cure. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



PNEUMONIA 

Rabbits may catch pneumonia if colds are neglected, or 
if the rabbits are kept in damp, cold hutches and given im- 
proper or insufficient food. Pneumonia is lung fever, and the 
fever must be checked by giving Aconite just as in cases of 
Snuffles. A good physic should be administered — castor oil 
or any good cathartic. The sufferer must be kept warm and 
fed green stuff very sparingly, while grains must be cooked 
before being fed. Pneumonia can be detected by listening 
to the breathing of the rabbit. A crepitant rattle will be heard 
in the lungs. 

EAR CANKER 

Ear canker often affects Commercial Rabbits, especially 
Flemish Giants and New Zealand Reds. A thick, leaked 
substance forms in the ear, and it should be removed with a 
hair pin or a blunt piece of wood especially shaped for the 
purpose. After removing the canker, the inside of the ear 
should be treated with salve or a good antiseptic, such as Hike 
Antiseptic. Ear canker is not dangerous and can be re- 
moved in a day or so. 

ABSCESSES 

Abscesses or boils occasionally affect both wild and do- 
mestic rabbits. They are caused mostly by bites which be- 
come infected by germs from the dirt or dung. When the 
swelling is ripe, slip the fur away and lance the swelling with 
a sharp knife or old razor kept for the purpose, squeeze out the 
pus as gently as possible, and apply salve or antiseptic. These 
are not dangerous. 

CONSTIPATION 

Constipation is not a common complaint, but if the 
absence of droppings is noticed, and the rabbit sits in a corner 
in evident distress, give a good dose of castor oil, or try feed- 
ing nothing but green stuff for a day or two. 



54 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



ADMINISTERING MEDICINES 

The beginner is often puzzled as to how to administer 
the medicine. Aconite is given in the drinking water. Some 
other medicines are given mixed with the feed. But if the 
rabbit refuses to eat, the medicine has to be forced into its 
mouth. The bunny will not open its teeth, and the strongest 
man will have great difficulty in forcing them open. How- 
ever, the rabbit has no teeth on the side, so the lips can be 
opened and the medicine poured in through a thin necked bot- 
tle or a thin funnel. The rabbit should be held on its back 
with a sack wrapped around its feet to prevent it from strug- 
gling. It should be held on its back until the medicine runs 
down its throat and the rabbit is seen to swallow. 

Ten drops of Aconite to a gallon of water twice a week 
will keep off many disorders and keep your stock in good 
condition. 

There are many good remedies, specially prepared for the 
above ailments. Any of the leading Pet Stock Publications 
will supply you with the addresses of Dealers of Remedies. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



CHAPTER XV 

BIG SUCCESSES 

A lot is heard about sensational successes lately with 
Commercial Rabbits. These tales are for the most part quite 
true. Several young men throughout the country have made 
comfortable fortunes. The demand appears to be many times 
greater than the supply. 

THE FUTURE 

The future of Commercial Rabbits is pregnant with pos- 
sibilities. There is nothing to discourage. While many dis- 
eases are described in this book, it does not follow that the be- 
ginner will be troubled with any of them. Clean hutches and 
regular feeding will prevent diseases. 

It is more than probable that Commercial Rabbits will be 
raised much more widely than poultry from now on. Cer- 
tain it is that no poultry plants have grown so rapidly as have 
the big rabbitries of the country. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



CHAPTER XVI 

PROLIFICACY 

A poulterer in Columbia, Illinois, reports that when he 
raised New Zealand Reds in California, it was his custom to 
place the buck with the doe about ten days after each litter 
was born. He admits that he acted in ignorance of the real 
principles of Commercial Rabbit breeding, but he still insists 
that he got as many as eight litters a year from his does, and 
that his does Avere always healthy. He fed green stuff ex- 
clusively. 

It is a certainty that wild rabbits must become pregnant 
again immediately after having one litter, because a doe is al- 
ways red hot at that time and will take the buck in an in- 
stant. Wild rabbits, however, do not breed during the win- 
ter months. 

A breeder of common rabbits in Hartselle, Alabama, re- 
ports that he lets his stock run loose in ground pens, allow- 
ing them to burrow in the ground. The bucks run with the 
does. He says his rabbits multiply so fast that he cannot 
keep track of them at all, and is of the impression that does 
bear eight or ten litters a year. 

A dentist in De Soto, Missouri, a breeder of New Zealand 
Reds, declares that he breeds his does twelve days after they 
have a litter, and that he never loses either the young ones or 
the breeding does. 

These facts are presented for what they are worth. They 
are not intended as advice to beginners. Generally speaking, 
it is a bad policy to breed does more than five times a year. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



^7 




u 
w 

CO 

J 

H 
< 

< 

I 

w 
o 

Q 

12; 

< 

5 
w 



58 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

(Following articles taken from ''OUTDOOR ENTER- 
PRISES," a publication devoted to rabbits, cavies, fur-bear- 
ing animals and other outdoor industries.) 

RABBITS AND WAR 

By C. P. Gilmore 

With our country at war and our government officials 
calling on everyone to produce food there is but one thing that 
can happen to the rabbit industry of this country and that one 
thing is something little short of a boornj Never before in the 
history of the industry in this country ITas there been the de- 
mand for rabbit meat such as there is today and never in the 
history of the industry has there been such prices paid for said 
meat. And breeding stock? Why, breeders all over the 
country report that they can't begin to fill their orders, the 
reason being that every one wants to keep a few rabbits and 
raise their own meat or else they wish enough to raise for 
marketing. ' Mi 

In this article it will be my aim to introduce the rabbit and 
its commercial possibilities rather than to acquaint the reader 
with successful methods of raising and selling. 

The people of the United States are just beginning to 
realize the true value of this little animal as an article of food. 
The past two years have seen a great development of the rab- 
bit industry and thousands of families are now raising rabbits 
to help reduce the high cost of living while thousands of others 
are profiting from raising them for market or for breeding 
stock. 

In taking up the culture of the rabbit as a commercial 
proposition we are away behind European countries. France, 
for instance, during the year 1912 sold through its municipal 
markets some eighty million rabbits, to say nothing of the 
millions sold otherwise. Before the war London was using 
over 500,000 a week, .mostly imported from Belgium. This lit- 
tle country was earning over twelve millions of dollars from 
her rabbits yearly, the most of which were exported to Eng- 
land. > 

The rabbit business is not a "get-rich-quick" proposition, 
:mt a good legitimate lousiness which if carried on right will 
bving good returns. During the Belgian Hare boom many 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 59 

men made small fortunes from selling pedigreed animals. 
But that was a boom such as we hope will never occur again, 
for the Belgian is but now recovering from it. 

In the breeding branch one must aim to produce the very 
best quality, vigor and health being- the most important fac- 
tors. In exhibition stock there is the standard to breed to, 
and the nearer a rabbit can be bred to its standard the more 
valuable it is. 

Some of our college professors have said that on account 
of the disease prevailing among rabbits they can not be raised 
profitably. Twenty years ago these same professors probably 
said the same thing about chickens, for at that time few peo- 
ple knew how to raise chickens right. They had to learn 
Today very few people know the right way to raise rabbits. 
They are learning. I do not think it is possible for one to 
raise any other animal in such large numbers with less mor- 
tality. 

Cleanliness, sanitation and system are the factors of 
success. Rabbits cannot be raised with the disregard of 
sanitation often shown to a hog, and it is useless to try it; 
they are naturally very dainty and cleanly and if confined to 
a filthy hutch will respond accordingly. 

Rabbits cannot be raised on the ground unless the runs 
are changed every three or four weeks. The Coccida germ, 
which is the domestic rabbits' greatest enemv, breeds very 
rapidly in the ground, which becomes poisoned by the con- 
tinual urinating of the rabbit. 

As to the cost of raising rabbits for market, will say that it 
depends altogether on how you feed, how much ot the feed 
you raise and where you are located. We can raise market 
stock for 11 cents dressed (this is feed cost), and they will 
sell for 35 cents dressed. As an example of feed cost in the 
East, will quote from Mr. C. I. Hunt's letter of the 14th as 
to what it costs him in New York : "In a recent test to de- 
termine the exact cost of raising rabbits for meat purposes 
we took twenty-two and' placed them in a run by themselves, 
keeping a strict account of all feed used. The result is shown 
herein. The twenty-two weighed 118 pounds when sold and 
brought $20.31. Expenses : feed, $7.08 ; express and commis- 
sion, $4.43; total cost, $11.51; leaving a net profit of $8.80, 
or 40 cents each. Had they been sold at home they would 



60 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 

have brought a net profit of $13.23, or 60 cents each. The feed 
cost to produce live weight was 6 cents a pound." 

The fur end of this industry is growing better in this coun- 
try. This year the National Breeders and Fanciers Associa- 
tion will work hard on the fur proposition, with the view of 
getting one of the large fur companies to make a specialty of 
rabbit furs, the members of this association, which, by the way, 
is over 4,000, to send all their furs to this one house. 

In France raising rabbits for their furs is a very impor- 
tant industry (or was before the war), these furs being sold 
under various names, such as Ermine, Chinchilla, Sable and 
Otter. 

Whether you intend to raise rabbits for home consump- 
tion or market breeding, start with good healthv stock. 'Be 
very careful in buying, for a bad start is no doubt discour- 
aging. 

In concluding this article I wish to say to those con- 
templating life on a little land, to go in with the object of 
making a specialty of some one thing. There are so many 
things of which one can make a specialty, such as ducks, 
geese, turkeys, chickens, goats, rabbits, pig-eons, pet stock, 
bees, certain kinds of vegetables or flower berries, etc., then in 
connection with your specialty raise everything that you con- 
sume yourself. 

A tradesman was talking to me the other day about tak- 
ing up life on a little land, but stated that he was somewhat 
dubious on account of seeing some of his fellow workmen re- 
turn to their trades after trying the little land for some time. 
"Why is it?" he asked. "Is it because they can't sell what they 
produce?" "No," I replied, "but from what I can see it is 
because they do not make a specialty of any one thing for 
income, but dabble in a little of everything." 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



HEREDITY 

By C. I. Hunt 

The 480 descendants of a certain drunken man and a 
feeble-minded woman included only 46 normal persons. Of 
the rest 311 were distinctly immoral, criminal, feeble-minded, 
epileptic or alcoholic, and the others defective in some way. 
The 496 descendants of the same man, reformed, and a normal 
woman included absolutely no criminals, only two insane per- 
sons and only two drunkards. Nearly all the descendants of 
this couple were sound in mind and body, many of them prom- 
inent citizens. It is unnecessary to point out the lesson in 
these facts. 

The above is taken from one of our agricultural papers. 
It shows as plainly as words and figures can to breeders of 
live stock the necessity of getting the right stock for the 
foundation. What is true in the human family is also true in 
the animal kingdom. A few dollars extra put into the foun- 
dation stock will return many fold in future generations. 



62 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



USEFUL RABBIT NOTES 

Do not feed peach tree branches. 

Never disturb your Doe when kindhng. Keep away. 

Does should not be handled or shipped after they are two 
weeks pregnant. 

Several Does may be kept together in one compartment 
until they are bred. 

If your Buck is a good one, do not allow him to serve 
more than three Does a week. 

In humans, ''cleanliness is next to Godliness." In rab- 
bits, it is next to success. 

Those who start the business first in a locality, are the 
ones that will make the most money. 

Does suckle their young very early in the morning and 
late at night ; very seldom at any other time. 

Always handle your stock gently and you will have pets. 
They appreciate gentleness and kindness. 

It is not advisable to use Bucks for breeding until they 
are eight months old, although many use them much younger. 

Always, in summer, provide a nice shady place for your 
youngsters. This will prevent lop ears and give good health. 
Dry feed should be given once a day even if green food is 
procurable. 

Never breed a Doe immediately after kindling, but wait 
until young are weaned. 

It is most profitable to sell young stock when they become 
of breeding age, instead of disposing of them earlier, as you 
can get better prices. 

If a Doe commences pulling her hair and building her 
nest two weks after being bred, it is a sure indication that she 
is not with young and that she desires to mate. Breed her and 
thus save two weeks time in obtaining a litter. 

In breeding always take the Doe to the Buck's hutch, as 
there will be less liability of their fighting if not in season. 
Leave them together only a few minutes ; then if necessary 
try them again some other day. or until they are bred. 



COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 63 

Give nursing- Does bread, milk and rolled oats if possible. 
This makes excellent feed for her for nourishing her young. 

Kid gloves from rabbit skins are in demand, as they are 
said to be softer, more pliable and wear better than those made 
frorn other skins. 

Rabbits are very dainty about their eating; they will eat 
nothing but the cleanest of food. They should be fed espe- 
cially for firmness and sweetness of flesh. 

In 1912 over 80,000,000 rabbits were sold in the muni- 
cipal markets of France, the model country ; the model coun- 
try of the world in point of thrift. 

Many of the best physicians recommend rabbit meat for 
aged and run-down people, on account of its great nutritive 
value and the fact that it is so easily digested. 

Robert F. Buetel, of Dennison, Iowa, says that one of his 
New Zealand does is raising eleven young, and another one 
ten. He says he is assisting nature by feeding the babies' 
bread and milk and rolled oats. 

Rabbits do not require as much space as chickens, so 
another point is added in their favor, and the cost of raising 
has been proven much lower, a number of times, say rabbit 
owners. 

It is predicted by the best fanciers that this occupation 
which is now in its infancy will be the largest of any known 
industry, in point of numbers engaged in it, and that within 
a very few years. 

In the United States we have family after family, mil- 
lions of them, in fact, complaining of hard times and yet buy- 
ing high-priced meat, and nine chances out of ten, their back 
yard is grown high with nutritious weeds which could be 
turned into delicious rabbit fries with a little initial cost and 
trouble. 



64 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 



A FAT PURSE AND A CONTENTED MIND 



Deep down in the spring of your being, there is a quality 
which is called SYMPATHY. 

Because of it you marry, and you have children, and you 
go out, day by day, to fight the forces that aim to starve you 
and those who depend upon the strength of your right hand. 

And because of it you place your hand upon a dog's head, 
and in a whisper, half to yourself, say: ''GOOD FELLOW — 
MY DOG!" 

And the dog will say 'yes," with the tail of him, and his 
unsteady, cold nose will seek the palm of your hand — SYM- 
PATHY, old man— SYMPATHY. 

And — primarily, this is the reason why Commercial Rab- 
bit farmers raise beautiful Belgian Hares and great Flemish 
Giants and New Zealand Red rabbits — this is why they place 
eggs in an incubator or under the breast of a fat fowl and wait 
all eagerly for the mystery of BIRTH to COME TO PASS. 

We do not understand it, and that's why we love it — pet 
stock — bringing into the world which did not exist. We play 
with CREATION, watching the miracle with our own eyes, 
and touching the MIRACLE with our own hands. We mar- 
vel inwardly, but we do not understand — not yet — the reason. 

As the great wild places of Nature fall down before the 
gleaming Ax of Civilization and the haunts of the animals dis- 
appear, we shall be taxed to produce the MEAT for our Car- 
nivorous bodies that long centuries of instinct and appetite has 
made necessary to healthy existence. 

Wherefore, AN UNSEEN POWER that lies behind the 
spheres that swing through space — above and beyond the 
Milky Way, and below the hindmost star that is in the Firma- 
ment—an UNSEEN POWER that we cannot feel and that we 
cannot KNOW — that Unseen Power — seeing to our hungry 
future, puts the instruments of CREATION into our hands, 
and we ACT, but lo ! we marvel. 

Just so long as this UNSEEN POWER remains behind 
the necessity for breeding and rearing fur-bearing and meat 
producing animals for the inside and the outside of our bodies, 
so long shall we be guided by a blind SYMPATHY to make 
our animals create as we shall dictate, in respect of weight 
and quality of coat and color. 



